“Prisoner,” yelled a guard from behind Alec.
Alec jumped at the sudden incursion into his thoughts and turned around quickly.
“Come. Xu see you,” the guard said.
All of Yankee Camp stopped what they were doing and turned to him. No one went to see Xu, at least not since Alec had been there. Alec glanced at Jon and saw the look of fear on the man’s face, so he focused on the ground and walked with the guard toward Xu’s building. Did the man know? And if so how the hell did he find out? Alec kicked the thought from his mind. There wasn’t any way that Xu could have known their plans. All he knew was that meeting the man wasn’t a good thing.
Alec and the guard walked past the Yankee Camp building to the small metal building positioned right in the middle of their prison. Alec walked past a single guard at the door and then into the den of the devil. The escorting guard knocked once at the worn wooden door and heard Xu’s voice on the other side calling them in. The guard opened the door and stood aside, not entering. Alec leaned in and saw a large wooden desk in the middle of the room and Xu on the other side with his back to him. Xu was studying some papers and didn’t look up. The guard nudged Alec in the back so he walked inside and stood on the other side of the desk. The guard closed the door and he was all alone with Xu. Several medals sat neatly arranged on Xu’s desk but there was nothing else to distinguish Xu’s area from just another office area.
Xu rolled his chair around, placed the papers on his desk and then slowly looked up at Alec. The man’s cold, lifeless eyes met Alec’s and Xu smiled. “Sit.”
Alec sat down in a chair and his muscles rejoiced.
Xu studied him for a moment, all the while tapping his pen on the desk. “Life is hard here. Not everyone make it, but you have. Other prisoners respect you. Listen to you. This can be good thing.” Xu paused and tilted his head just slightly to the side. “You can make life easier for everyone. I can make life easier for you.”
Alec noticed his right leg was slightly quivering and he put his hand on it to stop it. “How is that?”
“If you help me, I can help everyone. Do you want to make things easier for your friends?”
“How?” Alec asked again.
“Sometimes people complain. It makes everyone else complain and then people feel worse.”
“So…you want me to try and put on a happy face?”
Xu didn’t blink; his expression didn’t change. “You don’t have to say anything. Just let me know who complains.”
The realization hit Alec. “You want me to be a rat?”
Xu looked confused. “Rat?”
“You want me to report the people that are complaining?”
Xu smiled. “Rat, I like that. You are not being rat, you are making sure that someone is not bringing everyone else down. You are making sure that no one does anything to get everyone in trouble. You are my ears.”
Alec dropped his head. “I don’t think I can do that.”
“There are benefits for you. More food. Easier jobs. Would you like pillow in your room?”
“I sleep fine.”
Xu was quiet for a moment but his face didn’t change. He yelled something in Chinese to the guard outside and Alec heard the guard leave his post and go into another room. Xu returned his attention to Alec but didn’t say anything. The man’s eyes seemed to pierce through Alec and it took everything he had to keep eye contact, but he refused to shrink away.
The door opened and the guard shoved a woman into the room. The woman’s clothing was in tatters, her face was dirty and she stood there slumped over, defeated.
“There are many benefits,” Xu said slowly.
Rage filled Alec. He tried to meet the woman’s eyes but she didn’t move. She just stood there. Alec turned back to Xu. “I’m not like you.”
Xu said something softly in Chinese and the guard grabbed the woman and pulled her out of the room.
Alec’s fists balled up. He was malnourished and weak but he wondered if he moved quickly enough if he could take Xu. He cursed himself for not finding a way to keep one of their weapons on him.
Xu yawned suddenly and then leaned back in his chair. “You not smart. I can make things easier and I can make things harder.” Xu tilted his head again and smiled. “You still being the hero? You think these people care about you? You think they need you to save them?”
“Why?” Alec asked, his anger spilling out. “Why are you like this? Why do you have to hurt people and make them hurt each other? Fine, we are prisoners during war; I understand that. You need us to help ship out supplies for your war, but you don’t have to do the evil things you are doing. You don’t have to kill us.”
Xu crinkled his forehead. “Why not?” Xu saw the anger covering Alec’s face and smiled again. He shouted something out in Chinese and the guard came into the room and grabbed Alec underneath his armpit and pulled him up. “You are ants. You are nothing.” Xu grabbed some papers on his desk and turned his back to Alec.
As the guard dragged him from the room Alec decided that he would escape with the others and return. Not just to free the rest of the prisoners but also to make sure that he stood over Xu and watched as the life fled that man’s body.
Ben
The heat of the explosion washed over him just after the shockwave knocked him back a step. The sound of gunfire surrounded him, mixed with the screams of the wounded and the smell of smoke. Ben stood in the middle of the school, knowing he had to find the EMP before the building collapsed all around him, but he didn’t know where to go. The smoke cleared in front of him and he saw the bloodied body of Reaper laying just a few feet from him. Lying near Reaper was the body of Ohio and next to Ohio was Ghost. As the smoke began to clear Ben realized he was surrounded by bodies and each body was a fellow soldier. Some he knew had died; others he thought had still been alive. The explosions got closer, the gunfire louder, just as the face of the last body came into view. It was Mason. Ben opened his mouth to scream when his eyes shot open.
He was in the helicopter.
His fellow squad mates were asleep all around him. Crimson, Dex, Ty, Vick, Chavez--they were all alive. They had already set off the EMP. Ben wiped the sweat from his forehead and leaned back against the seat, trying to slow his breathing.
One of the pilots at the front of the helicopter glanced back and saw him. The young soldier pointed toward something near Ben’s feet and pretended like he was putting something over his head. Ben glanced down and saw the headset lying on the floor and put it on.
“We’re coming up on it now,” the man said over the headset.
Ben looked out the window and at first all he saw was an ocean of green as they floated over an endless view of treetops, but the sea of green dropped off suddenly as they passed over a mountain, and that was when he saw it. At the bottom of the mountain, in stark contrast with nature, was the hard gray concrete of several helipads. As they got closer he could make out Humvees and several buildings hidden beneath the canopy of the trees.
“Where are we?” Ben asked through the headset.
“Mount Weather in Virginia. Also known as the birthplace of the new United States of America.”
The helicopter began to descend quickly, sending Ben’s stomach into to his throat and waking the others. He began to notice the other soldiers on the ground, along with the opening on the side of the mountain. The base wasn’t located around the mountain, it was inside the mountain. By the time the helicopter had landed everyone was up and had gathered up all of their gear, and Ben was happy to see the look of awe he felt reflected in his squad mates’ eyes. Once out of the helicopter Ben ran out a safe distance and took in the surroundings. Every military base he had been to since the war began had been rundown and in bad need of supplies, but this wasn’t like those other bases. The buildings were well maintained, the soldiers’ clothing was clean and crisp, and it didn’t appear they had missed many meals.
“Damn B, we made it,” Ty said in awe as he came
up beside him.
Crimson walked past them a few feet as she took everything in and then turned to them with a smirk on her face. “Ready for some R&R?”
“Hell yeah,” Ty said.
“Could have used some a couple of years back, but I’ll take it now,” Ben said.
One of the soldiers came up to them and stopped. “Any injuries?”
“No, we’re solid,” Crimson answered for them.
“Good to hear,” the soldier said, looking them over. “I’m sure you all are ready for some grub and a hot shower so follow me.”
As the soldier turned and began to walk to the entrance of the mountain the rest of the squad shared shocked looks.
“I’m sorry, did he say shower?” Dex asked.
“And a hot shower at that?” Ben said with a laugh.
As they walked through the mouth of the mountain they entered a room that dwarfed anything that Ben had ever seen. It felt like walking into an amphitheater but one that was filled with dozens of Humvees, helicopters and hundreds of crates and soldiers all about. The soldier led them a large elevator and stepped to the side.
“This will take you down and General Wallace will meet you there. Thank you for what you did,” the soldier said stoically as he saluted them.
Ben saluted back. It felt awkward. All of his training had been focused on how to kill and survive and the formalities of being a solider had been left out. They stepped onto the large elevator, which was big enough to hold an entire Humvee with plenty of room, and it made its way down. It took nearly a minute but the elevator finally stopped and the doors opened to a brightly lit corridor, where the General awaited them.
The clean-shaven man was easily over six feet tall, with broad shoulders and a fiery intensity in his eyes. His uniform was jet black and was covered in medals and emblems. He watched them step out of the elevator and they all saluted. The man smiled; his face wasn’t built for such things and it looked awkward.
“Knock that off,” he said, waving a hand at them. “After what you have accomplished we are well past formalities.” He walked up to them and shook each of their hands. The man’s grip was strong and he gave Ben a single hard shake before letting go. “We need to debrief and the President would like to meet with each and every one of you, but there is plenty of time for that. For now let’s get you all a bite to eat and a warm shower. Sound good?”
“That is the greatest thing my ears have ever heard…sir,” Ty said slack-jawed.
Ben couldn’t help but smile as he gave Ty a gentle push. They shared a laugh and followed the others.
Alec
The thunder rumbled throughout the building, causing the walls to shudder. The mixture of Yankee and Rambo Camp prisoners sat either in this building or the one across the way, waiting for the storm to pass. It was a rare break. Alec could remember working in near-blizzard conditions when he couldn’t see more than a foot in front of him, but this storm was different. The wind took anything that wasn’t planted firmly in the ground, and even a few trees appeared to be a few more gusts from being uprooted and taken away by the wind. All it took were a few guards being knocked to the ground in order for everyone to be rounded up and taken inside until the storm passed.
Alec sat in one of the corners of the building with Jon and Steffan as his only company. They were all kicked back and resting as if they were on vacation at the beach. Jon was running a dried kernel of corn through his mouth while Steffan was lying on his back with his eyes closed.
“Hey Alec, can I ask you a question?” Steffan asked as he propped himself up with his elbow.
“Shoot.”
“Where did you come from?”
Jon stopped what he was doing and looked at Alec.
The door in Alec which always remained closed tried to open, he wouldn’t let it. “Somewhere better than this.”
Steffan nodded his head as if expecting this answer. “I don’t like talking about it either. What about you, Jon?”
“Lexington. For at least two years before the electricity died.” Jon had a faraway look. “Afterward I just kind of wandered around to wherever I could find a warm place to stay and food to eat.”
“I’m from Connecticut,” Steffan said, seeming pleased with himself. “Greatest state in the nation.”
“Why is that?” Jon asked.
“Because I said so,” Steffan said quickly. He used his finger to flick away a small rock. It skidded across the floor and went under an old chair. “It’s actually a nice place.”
Alec had yet to ask. As they sat there talking about home, he realized this was as great a time as any.
“You all still have family?” Jon asked before Alec could say anything.
Silence filled with pain.
“I have a brother back home,” Steffan said softly.
His thoughts turned briefly to her. They hadn’t even spent a full year together but she had been the center of the universe to him. The night they had spent together would stay with him for the rest of his life. Was it possible she was still there, waiting for him? He pushed those feelings aside.
“This isn’t going to lead anywhere good,” Alec said. “Thinking about the past or the people we miss is only going to hurt.”
Jon scooted back against the wall and frowned. “So you never think about anyone?”
“I try not to,” Alec answered truthfully.
“I think about my people every day,” Jon said. “One day I’ll find my way back to them. I promise you that.”
“I might be able to help with that,” Alec said quietly.
He talked, they listened. At first he didn’t give Finn’s name and he didn’t go into specifics. It took him less than a minute to realize both of them were in, and then he dove into the details. Jon’s eyes were filled with excitement, while Steffan was quiet.
“Just us?” Jon asked. “I mean just the three of us from Yankee Camp?”
“I was thinking about Gerry,” Alec said, already knowing the response.
“That’s not going to work,” Steffan said. “He’s not doing well.”
“He’s doing better,” Alec tried to defend him.
“He’s still alive but that doesn’t mean anything. If we have to go on foot he won’t make it more than a couple miles, if that,” Steffan said and Jon nodded.
“What about Simon?” Jon offered.
Alec looked to the far side of the room and saw Simon sitting by himself with his eyes closed. Simon was the guard-appointed leader of Yankee Camp but the man was ill-suited for the role. It wasn’t that Alec didn’t like the man; it was more that he didn’t bring anything to the plot. Much like Gerry.
“No Simon,” Alec said. “You all are probably right about Gerry but give him time. If he gets better then we can talk about it again.”
Jon and Steffan were quiet.
A large gust of wind slammed against the building, causing the windows to shake and the group of prisoners to quiet down, waiting for the building to collapse around them. It didn’t. After a few seconds the conversations picked up again. Alec looked to Jon and the man had a tear running down his face.
“You ok?”
“Is this real? What you’re talking about, it could actually happen?”
Alec smiled and saw Steffan do the same. “Yeah, Jon. It’s going to happen.”
Ally
She didn’t move a muscle.
There were three Chinese soldiers in the distance but they were doing the same thing Ally was, hunting. The soldiers’ clothing was worn and they were covered in the same dust that covered everything out in the Wastelands, but their guns were at the ready and they were crouched down and methodically moving from cover to cover. Ally wasn’t able to see who they were hunting but already knew whose side she was on.
She left her perch on the second floor of the damaged building and quietly moved among the scattered debris. Her feet glided over the broken chunks of concrete while her eyes remained focused on the Chinese soldiers up ah
ead. She swung around wide to the right and it didn’t take her long to see what the soldiers were focused on. Smoke from a fire rose in the distance and she could hear people talking from the same area. Talking in English. Ally sped up just as the Chinese soldiers stopped and began to talk amongst themselves, likely planning their attack strategy. In a clearing she saw a small campfire and sitting next to it, with their backs up against a rusted up car, were two American soldiers. A small animal was cooking over the fire while the soldiers talked, with no idea what was about to happen. The Chinese soldiers began to spread out behind the Americans, and it was only a matter of time.
“Behind you,” Ally yelled and then ducked back into cover.
“What the hell was that?” she heard one of the soldiers ask.
“Shit, we have enemy on our six,” the other yelled just as the world exploded into gunfire.
Ally didn’t wait to see what happened; she was already making her way back to where she came from, which would conveniently put her behind the Chinese soldiers. She heard a scream of pain in Chinese and then the gunfire got slightly softer. Ally continued down another block then pulled out her bow, readied an arrow and headed back toward the gunfire. Fear filled her stomach but she focused on her anger to push it away. When she had lost her family Jess took care of her, then these people took Jess from her. When she lost Jess it was Tiger who became her family and watched after her, and then they took him from her as well. The fear disappeared.
Ally took refuge behind a broken down bus and peeked around the corner. One of the Chinese soldiers lay dead on a pile of rubble, while another was on his stomach firing toward the car the American soldiers were pinned down behind. Ally scanned but couldn’t find the third and last soldier. Still, she aimed her bow at the soldier’s back before his head jerked back and then slumped over on the ground. He had been shot. The gunfire stopped and all Ally could hear was the ringing in her ears.
The Wasteland: Book 6 of The After The Event Series Page 3